Effect of Magnetic Fields and Iron Uptake on Plant Growth Dynamics

By: Rohan Brebion, Ali Syed, Nicholas Meier, and Hannah Teipen

Research Goals:

Determine the effects of an external magnetic field on plant root development and growth.

Assess the effects of iron uptake in conjunction with a constant magnetic field on plant growth.

Analyze the differences in growth to determine which method is the most effective.

Part I: Biology

Goals:Select an aquatic plant that:

Grows quicklyUptakes heavy metals

Measure the typical growth pattern of the selected aquatic plant through:Average root lengthSurface area coverage of a container

Plant Selection: Lemna minor L. (Common Duckweed):Simplest, floating aquatic plant

High biomassReproduces quickly Large surface coverage



Surface Coverage Results:



Day 1: Day 6:

Part I: Results



1 2 3 4 5 61.5

1.6

1.7

1.8

1.9

2

2.1

1.5

1.6

1.7

1.8

1.9

2

Root Growth of Control:

Control

Days

Ave

rage

Roo

t Len

gth

(cm

)

Part I: ConclusionCommon Duckweed is the best option for the plant.

Common Duckweed Growth:Root growth generally linearSurface area growth quick and dense



Part II: Chemistry

Goals:Find a metal that is plants uptake naturally.

Make a solution of the metal with an appropriate molarity.

Measure the growth pattern of the plant in the iron solution

Hypothesis: If the aquatic plant is grown in an iron solution, then it will grow more effectively than the control.

The Iron Solution:Iron

Natural nutrient Iron Chlorosis

Iron (II) Sulfate, Heptahydrate (FeSO4*7H2O) .36 mM1 Molar Mass: 278.02 g/mol

1. “Influence of EDTA and Chemical Species on Arsenic Accumulation in Spirodela polyrhiza L. (Duckweed)”, M. Azizur Rahman et al. (2008)

Iron Uptake:



Availability Metabolism

MitochondriaChloroplasts

MechanismsReductionChelation

The Setup:



Surface Coverage Results:



Day 1: Day 6:

Surface Coverage Results 2:



Day 1: Day 6:

Part II: Results

1 2 3 4 5 61.5

1.6

1.7

1.8

1.9

2

2.1

2.2

2.3

Root Growth in Iron Solution:

Control Iron High MagIron Low Mag

Days

Ave

rage

Roo

t Len

gth

(cm

)

Iron High Mag. Conductivity: 235.3 µ/cm Iron Low Mag. Conductivity: 240.1 µ/cm

Part II: ConclusionIron is the best option for the heavy metal for uptake.

Plants grown in low concentration of iron in presence of constant magnetic field grow faster and denser than the control.Iron solution did not kill the plants

Part III: Physics

Goals:

Create and measure a magnetic field of about 2 - 3 mT.

Measure the growth pattern of the plant when subjected to various magnetic field strengths.

Hypothesis: If the aquatic plant is grown in the presence of a constant magnetic field, then it will grow more effectively than the control.

The Magnetic Field:Primary/Secondary CoilB = (µIN)/L

Surface Coverage Results:



Day 1: Day 6:

Surface Coverage Results 2:



Day 1: Day 6:

Part III: Results

1 2 3 4 5 61.5

1.6

1.7

1.8

1.9

2

2.1

2.2

2.3

1.5

1.6

1.7

1.8

1.9

2

Root Growth in Magnetic Field

Control Iron High MagIron Low MagNo Iron High MagNo Iron Low Mag

Days

Ave

rage

Roo

t Len

gth

(cm

)

Part III: ConclusionThe constant magnetic field had no significant, measurable effect on the plant growth without the presence of the iron solution.

The magnetic field had a measurable effect in conjunction with the iron solution on plant growth and iron uptake.

ConclusionBiology

Lemna minor L. most effective option.Lemna minor L. grows quickly and linearly.

Chemistry Iron solution had an effect on plant growth.

PhysicsConstant magnetic field created (2-3mT).

Constant magnetic field alone had no effect on plant growth.

Error Analysis:Average Root LengthEvaporating WaterParallax ErrorStandard Error

Practical Applications:Agriculture

FertilizerAnimal feed

PollutionWaste remediation

EnvironmentCarbon sequestration Biofuel production

Special Thanks to..

Dr. CorbettDr. PresgravesMs. ShouneEric Johnson

Questions?

Bibliography:

Morrissey, J.; Guerinot, M. Iron uptake and transport in plants: The good, the bad, and the ionome. Chemical Reviews [Online] 2009, 109(10). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2764373/ (Accessed Mar 16, 2015).

Guerinot, M.; Kim S. A. Mining iron: Iron uptake and transport in plants. FEBS Letters [Online] 2007, 2273-2280. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014579307004310 (Accessed Mar 17, 2015)

Rahman, M. A.; Hasegawa, H.; Uedea, K.; Maki, T.; Rahman, M. M. Influence of EDTA and Chemical Species on Arsenic Accumulation in Spirodela polyrhiza L. (Duckweed). Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety [Online] 2008, 1-25. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17996940 (Accessed Mar 14, 2015)